Canadian Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts - Canadian Tourism ...

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2. Executive Summary 2.1 Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts: Market Size Of the 23.3 million Canadian adults in 2000, about 5.3 million are Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts (23%). Of these, about 8-in-10 claim to have visited a Canadian destination on a leisure trip in the past two years. Thus, the domestic market for the soft outdoor adventure segment is about 4.4 million Canadian adults. Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts live in every province and territory in Canada, although the provinces most apt to produce tourists in this market segment are Quebec and Alberta. About 25 per cent of adult Canadians live in Quebec while 28 per cent of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts come from this province; just under ten percent of Canadians live in Alberta (9%) but over ten percent are Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts (11%). Ontario, and most particularly, the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) are least apt to produce Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts. Ontario represents 38 per cent of the Canadian adult population but only 34 per cent of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts. Toronto CMA, in turn, represents 16 per cent of all Canadians but produces only 11 per cent of these outdoor enthusiasts. As Canada’s population becomes increasingly urban and increasingly concentrated in Ontario, the relatively low yield of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts will likely pose challenges for tourism businesses seeking to attract this outdoor-oriented domestic market in the medium and long term. Regions that are especially successful in attracting Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts over a two year period relative to their share of the Canadian adult population include Atlantic Canada, Alberta and British Columbia. Over 2.5 times as many Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts claim to have visited these provinces as their share of the total adult population would suggest. Ontario is least successful in attracting these outdoor tourists, in part, because fewer of its own residents are Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts (see above). As noted above, Ontario represents 38 per cent of the country’s adults and attracts visits from 49 per cent of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts over a two year period, for an “attraction rate” that is 1.3 times its share of Canada’s population. Quebec falls between the high “attraction rate” evident for Canada’s eastern and western regions, representing 25 per cent of the adult population and attracting 42 per cent of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts over a two year period (1.7 times). 2.2 Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts: Demographic Characteristics Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts are concentrated at the younger end of the adult age spectrum. Close to three-quarters of them are between 18 and 44 years, with about equal proportions falling into the 18 to 34 year age group and the 35 to 44 year age group. Conversely, these Canadians are substantively under-represented at the older end of the age spectrum. Fewer than 1-in-20 are 65 years of age or over (4%) whereas 1-in-8 recent Canadian leisure travellers as a whole fall into this older age group (12%). The majority of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts live in adult-only households (61%). Because of their relative youth, these outdoor-oriented tourists are, however, more likely than the “typical” domestic tourist to have children under 12 years of age in their households. Canadian Tourism Commission 3
Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts are also more affluent than is the “typical” domestic traveller in Canada, with an average household income of $58,200 compared to $54,900 for the typical leisure visitor in Canada (1998 dollars). Higher household incomes are consistent with higher levels of formal education: over one-quarter of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts have at least one university degree (26%) and a further 40 per cent have had some post-secondary education. 2.3 Outdoor Activities among Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts By definition, Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts participate in multiple outdoor activities while on trips. They may have engaged in these activities while on a recent trip in Canada or on trips to other destinations, worldwide. The most popular outdoor activities – sought by between one-half and onethird of these tourists while on a trip in the past couple of years – tend to be warm weather encounters with nature. Activities Engaged in by 30 per cent to 60 per cent of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts • Hiking/backpacking in wilderness settings • Motor boating (37%) (58%) • Golfing (34%) • Wildlife viewing (47%) • Wildflowers viewing (32%) • Fishing (46%) • Cycling (38%) • Kayaking or canoeing (37%) Appreciation of Canada’s natural beauty is consistent with the types of activities participated in by Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts. Not only do these tourists rate Canada very highly as a place with beautiful scenery (9.1 on a ten point scale) but they also have a penchant for activities that would allow them to experience this scenery first hand: viewing wildlife and flora as they hike through wilderness settings or kayak and canoe on lakes and waterways. The strong participation in motor boating reflects the popularity of fishing within this segment. Close to half of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts fish in fresh or salt water on their trips (46%) and almost two-fifths go motor boating (37%). Like the scenery, Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts are quite positive in their perceptions of Canada as a great place to go fishing (8.6 on a ten point scale). Other outdoor activities that attract between 10 per cent and 30 per cent of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts include downhill skiing, whale or bird watching, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, ice fishing, sailing, hunting and motorcycling. Activities Engaged in by 10 per cent to 30 per cent of Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts • Downhill skiing (28%) • Horseback riding (18%) • Whale watching (25%) • Ice fishing (14%) • Bird watching (22%) • Sailing (13%) • Cross-county skiing (22%) • Hunting (11%) • Snowmobiling (19%) • Motorcycling (10%) Niche outdoor activities such as white water rafting, hot air ballooning, scuba diving, wind surfing, ice or rock climbing have appeal to comparatively few domestic Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts who travel in Canada. 4 Canadian Soft Outdoor Adventure Enthusiasts – A Special Analysis of the Travel Activities and Motivation Survey (TAMS)
Page 2 and 3: Canadian Soft Outdoor Adventure Ent
Page 4 and 5: Table of Contents 1. Introduction .
Page 6 and 7: 1. Introduction Canada offers a wid
Page 10 and 11: 2.4 Overlap With Other Activity-Bas
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Page 14 and 15: 3. Canadian Soft Outdoor Adventure
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Page 22 and 23: 3.4.2 Other Outdoor Activities Whil
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